There is a very good chance that the cheese they process at Kaasbrik in Limburg was once already on your plate. Kaasbrik processes and packs about 10,000 tonnes of cheese a year, exclusively for B2B customers. Pieter Romanus, Operations Manager clarifies:
"We deliver as an end product ground cheese in all kinds of forms such as flakes, cubes, finely and coarsely grated cheese and so on. We export our grated cheeses to more than 20 countries worldwide in chilled conditions to mainly pizza wholesalers, distributors and industrial food manufacturers. Besides our own brands Kaasbrik and Pizzaiolo, we also have many private labels."
People's welfare comes first
Kaasbrik is a 100% family business (De Turck family) with about thirty employees and this in full expansion. In the production there are three fully automatic lines and a pre-treatment line that process the purchased blocks of cheese into their final product.
These cheese blocks, mainly mozzarella and Emmental, are delivered in different sizes, up to blocks of 120 kg. Despite the high level of automation in this company, there are still some manual operations that are taxing for their employees and for which they were looking for appropriate solutions.
Pieter Romanus explains:
"The well-being of our people is paramount. That is why we have been working on ergonomics for a long time and have been using, among others, highlifters and a vacuum lifting system for manipulating the blocks of cheese from the pallet to the cutting line. Because our previous vacuum lifter was worn out and could not handle the largest blocks of cheese, we were looking for a new lifting system with more lifting capacity and that also fitted better to the needs of hygiene and food safety."
Thinking along with the customer
Such installations are tailor-made for Logitrans, which offers solutions within the ATS Group in the field of internal logistics and lifting solutions, all from an ergonomic point of view. Bram Decock of Logitrans explains:
"With our solutions, we ensure that employees can lift loads in an ergonomic way in order to avoid back injuries and thus reduce absenteeism. An additional advantage of our solutions is that employees can be deployed more flexibly, which increases productivity and efficiency. We gladly accepted Kaasbrik's invitation to make an offer for the vacuum lifting unit".
Pieter Romanus: "Logitrans made us enthusiastic by thinking along with us and giving us advice. Bram came to see us about the lifting unit, but during a tour of the production area he saw a number of logistical challenges and possible areas for improvement, and he also immediately proposed a solution for the internal transport and handling of our rolls of packaging film. Until then, this had been a burdensome task for our people. The proposed device, a Tawi Protema lifting trolley, was an immediate hit".
Bram clarifies: "Indeed, we effectively look at the needs of the customer. Advice is our top priority and we only offer a solution if we can guarantee an improvement in the work situation. We strive for a long-term relationship in order to grow along with the customer. We also want our products to be tested extensively with the customer's products first. In this way, the customer can be sure that his investment will work."
"Ultimately, it was these demos and tests that convinced us to go with Logitrans. Our people could try it out themselves first and give feedback. After the demo, we knew that the devices had to be adjusted a little and Logitrans delivered this tailored to our needs for optimal ease of use," explains Pieter.
By using these ergonomic lifting devices, Kaasbrik can operate the workstations in an ergonomic and quick way, and productivity and safety go up. A win-win situation for the employees and the management.
Ergonomic solutions in the production of Kaasbrik:
- TAWI Pro80 lifting device with platform and V-block for handling film rolls of up to 80 kg on the packaging machine
- TAWI VacuEasylift VM120, vacuum lifter with FDA-approved rubber for handling cheeses up to 120 kg.
- Inox high lift pallet truck EHL1004 for ergonomic working height of the pallet with cheese.
This project was realised at Kaasbrik.